Historical analysis of gasoline pricing trends in Iran; effects and consequences

Gasoline is one of the most important energy carriers, and its pricing is highly sensitive. Because any decision to change the price of gasoline must be weighed against economic and security aspects. Because of this importance, governments in the Iranian economy usually adopt a policy of stabilizing the price of gasoline and, like a mediator, prevent the price of gasoline from increasing. This review study attempts to examine, through a historical review, the events that led to the change in the price of gasoline and its consequences during the years 1951 to 2025. The studies in this study show that the most successful approaches to changing the price of gasoline have been gradual and stepwise annual changes with an increase rate of less than 100 percent. Historical evidence also shows that artificially stabilizing the price of gasoline for consecutive years and then increasing it with rates above 100 percent increases the likelihood of shocks and social unrest. Gasoline is one of the most important energy carriers, and its pricing is highly sensitive. Because any decision to change the price of gasoline must be weighed against economic and security aspects. Because of this importance, governments in the Iranian economy usually adopt a policy of stabilizing the price of gasoline and, like a mediator, prevent the price of gasoline from increasing. This review study attempts to examine, through a historical review, the events that led to the change in the price of gasoline and its consequences during the years 1951 to 2025. The studies in this study show that the most successful approaches to changing the price of gasoline have been gradual and stepwise annual changes with an increase rate of less than 100 percent. Historical evidence also shows that artificially stabilizing the price of gasoline for consecutive years and then increasing it with rates above 100 percent increases the likelihood of shocks and social unrest. Gasoline is one of the most important energy carriers, and its pricing is highly sensitive. Because any decision to change the price of gasoline must be weighed against economic and security aspects. Because of this importance, governments in the Iranian economy usually adopt a policy of stabilizing the price of gasoline and, like a mediator, prevent the price of gasoline from increasing. This review study attempts to examine, through a historical review, the events that led to the change in the price of gasoline and its consequences during the years 1951 to 2025. The studies in this study show that the most successful approaches to changing the price of gasoline have been gradual and stepwise annual changes with an increase rate of less than 100 percent. Historical evidence also shows that artificially stabilizing the price of gasoline for consecutive years and then increasing it with rates above 100 percent increases the likelihood of shocks and social unrest. Gasoline is one of the most important energy carriers, and its pricing is highly sensitive. Because any decision to change the price of gasoline must be weighed against economic and security aspects. Because of this importance, governments in the Iranian economy usually adopt a policy of stabilizing the price of gasoline and, like a mediator, prevent the price of gasoline from increasing. This review study attempts to examine, through a historical review, the events that led to the change in the price of gasoline and its consequences during the years 1951 to 2025. The studies in this study show that the most successful approaches to changing the price of gasoline have been gradual and stepwise annual changes with an increase rate of less than 100 percent. Historical evidence also shows that artificially stabilizing the price of gasoline for consecutive years and then increasing it with rates above 100 percent increases the likelihood of shocks and social unrest. Gasoline is one of the most important energy carriers, and its pricing is highly sensitive. Because any decision to change the price of gasoline must be weighed against economic and security aspects. Because of this importance, governments in the Iranian economy usually adopt a policy of stabilizing the price of gasoline and, like a mediator, prevent the price of gasoline from increasing. This review study attempts to examine, through a historical review, the events that led to the change in the price of gasoline and its consequences during the years 1951 to 2025. The studies in this study show that the most successful approaches to changing the price of gasoline have been gradual and stepwise annual changes with an increase rate of less than 100 percent. Historical evidence also shows that artificially stabilizing the price of gasoline for consecutive years and then increasing it with rates above 100 percent increases the likelihood of shocks and social unrest.